Bill Text: NJ AJR20 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates July 1 of each year as "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day."
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-06-22 - Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [AJR20 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-AJR20-Introduced.html
No. 20
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman NANCY F. MUNOZ
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman GABRIELA M. MOSQUERA
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Space
SYNOPSIS
Designates July 1 of each year as "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Joint Resolution permanently designating July 1 as "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day."
Whereas, In 1943, the federal government established the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, a temporary program to address the shortage of nurses at the time, due to the needs of the military during World War II; and
Whereas, Between the years 1943 to 1948, over 124,000 women graduated from the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, and by 1945, U.S. Cadet Nurses were providing over 80 percent of the nursing care in U.S. hospitals; and
Whereas, Without the service of the U.S. Cadet Nurses, U.S. hospitals would have been critically understaffed and unable to adequately treat patients; and
Whereas, Training programs sponsored by the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps included public health nursing, nursing education and supervision, psychiatric nursing, tuberculosis nursing, midwifery, surgery, pediatrics, anesthesiology, and orthopedics; and
Whereas, The U.S. Cadet Nurses treated epidemics of infantile paralysis (polio) and tuberculosis and faced exposure to many communicable diseases; and
Whereas, Many U.S. Cadet Nurses continued to work in the field of nursing after the Corps was discontinued, thereby continuing to contribute to healthcare services long after World War II had ended; and
Whereas, Each U.S. Cadet Nurse swore an oath to the country for her "service in essential nursing for the duration of the war"; and
Whereas, The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps provided considerable funds to nursing schools, leading to improvements in educational standards and libraries for nursing schools, and it additionally fostered a more academic approach to nursing rather than apprenticeship training; and
Whereas, Young women who otherwise may not have been able to afford higher education were provided career opportunities through the scholarships and stipends offered by the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps; and
Whereas, The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps was required by law to accept African-Americans and helped to integrate nursing schools that previously only accepted white students by recruiting 3,000 African-American women; and
Whereas, The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps had the enduring effect of innovating and reshaping the field of nursing; and
Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper to permanently designate July 1 as "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day"; now, therefore,
Be
It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly
of the State of New Jersey:
1. July 1 of each year is designated as "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day" to recognize and commend the women who dedicated themselves to essential nursing services during World War II.
2. The Governor is respectfully requested to annually issue a proclamation designating July 1 as "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day" and calling upon public officials and the citizens of New Jersey to observe the day with appropriate activities and programs.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution permanently designates July 1 as "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day." The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps was formed in 1943 by the federal government to address an extreme nursing shortage due to World War II. Since many nurses already practicing had dedicated themselves to providing military nursing services during the war, U.S. hospitals were in critical need of nurses.
By 1945, U.S. Cadet Nurses accounted for 80% of the nursing care in U.S. hospitals. In order to become a U.S. Cadet Nurse, a young woman had to be a graduate of high school, have good grades, and be in good health. The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps provided career opportunities for many young women who otherwise would not have been able to attend nursing school by providing scholarships and stipends to all Cadets. Over 124,000 nurses graduated from the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps.
In addition to the opportunities the Corps provided to the Cadets, the Corps was also responsible for elevating the educational standards of many nursing schools throughout the country. The Corps fostered an academic approach to nursing, as opposed to the antiquated apprenticeship training largely being practiced at the time. Moreover, the Corps provided funding for improvements to nursing school libraries and residences for nursing students. As a result of the program, the nursing profession as a whole has been enriched and has become a much more desirable career path for many individuals than it was prior to the establishment of the Corps.
Although the recruitment campaign for the Corps focused on glamorous images and film of fashionable nurses, the U.S. Cadet Nurses worked rigorously and combated epidemics of polio and tuberculosis. When the war ended, many U.S. Cadets continued their work as nurses.
It is the sponsor's intent that the designation of "U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Day" commemorates these women and the service they provided to this country.
